Improvement in compound engines



ZSheets-Sheetl. H. R. WORTHINGTO'N.

' COMPOUND ENGINES; N0'.181,548 Patented Augp29, 1876.

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WZ77Z68563, [zzwzziar N, FETERS, PHOTO LTHOGRAFHER WASHINGTON C ZSheets-SheetZ.

H. R. WO-RTHINGTON.

, COMPOUND ENGINES.

No.181,548.' 'Patented Aug.29,187.6.

",FETERS, FHOTO-LITNOGRAPHEH. WASHINGTON. O C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY R. woRrnineron, on iRvrneron, new mm.

IMPROVEMENT I N COMPOUND ENGINES.

Specification forming part'of Letters Patent No. 13!,548, dated August 29,1876; application filed March 4, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY R. WORTHING- TON, of Irvington, county of Westchester, State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Compound Engines, chiefly applicable to compound pumping-en gines of that variety of the Worthington duplex engine which I call Tank Engines and that the following, taken in connection with the drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

1n the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a tank pumping-engine, with my improvements applied thereto, taken from the steam-cylinder end of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan or top view of the same.

The duplex engine is now in common usein various localities, and so well known'that neither a detailed description thereof nor of the contrivances by'means of which the valves of one cylinder are worked by the piston-rod of the other is deemed necessary. In that form of it which'I call the tank-engine one I low and one high pressure steam'cylinder'are employed, each one actuating apump, and the large or low pressure cylinder operated by steam exhausting or escaping from the-small or high pressure steam-cylinder. form of engine has no fly-wheel like an ordinary crank-engine, and no heavy beam or weight compensating'for different pressures to the square inch upon the piston during any one stroke, as in the Cornish engine,'it is necessarythat the pressure of steam upon the piston during any one stroke should be nearly uniform. Hence, in my practice, -I do not permit the steam exhausting from the smallcylinder to enter directly into the large cylinder, as is usual in compound or Woolf engines, but, on the contrary, turn the exhaust of the small cylinder into a close tank or receiver, and permit it to flow from this tank into the low-pressure cylinder, or else connect such a tank with a pipe leading from the small to the large cylinder. This arrangement causes the back pressure upon the small cylinder and the working pressure upon the large cylinder to be more uniform than if it were not employed. It is not necessary to explain why, or describe the operation in detail, as

As this water to be lifted the tank thus employed is a well-known device, and is described in English patents and puolitions dated about the commencement of the present century.

In these tank pumping-engines the pumps are usually of the same size, and the cylinders so proportioned that each shall during each stroke exercise the same effective pressure upon the pump pistons or plungersp But it sometimes happens, under the varying conditions to which all engines are subject, that more effective pressure is applied to one steamcylinde'r than to the other. In such case one pump piston or plunger moves faster than the other, and the regular and nearly equable flow of water through the pipes is disturbed, thus producing jars, and consequently strains, upon the pumps and their pipe-connections;

In order to remedy this difficulty I have connected the tank directly with the boiler, or some pipe leading from the boiler, and also with the condenser, or some space or chamber in connection with the condenser, and have applied regulating-valves upon these pipes or connections. If the small engine works relatively too fast, I open the valvein the pipe connecting the tank with the boiler to the extent required, thus increasing the back pressure upon the high-pressure piston, and the acting pressure upon the low-pressure piston. 1f the large or low-pressure engine runs relatively too fast, I open the valve upon the pipe leading to the condenser, and thus decrease'the working pressure upon the large steam-piston, and decrease the back pressure upon the high-pressure piston. By judicious management of these valves the engine-driver can, under all circumstances, cause the same relative speed to be imparted to the pumps, and

each cylinder to perform the same amount of work in the same time, each taking its equal share of the load, and consequently cause the with the least possible amount of jar and the greatest possible uniformity of pressure upon the pipes and connections.

My present invention has been applied practically, and the results derived from its'use are such as described.

In the drawings, a is the small cylinder; b, the large one; 0, the tank; d, the condenser;

instead of that shown in the e, the channel-way leading from the condenser 't0 the air-'pumpsff, which maybe Worked by a separate engine, or in any other convenient way, as by rock-shaft, links, 850., as shown in the drawings.

at g 9, their plungers being mounted upon the continuations of the steam-cylinder pistons. The valve-gear shown in the drawings is val vegear of the duplex variety now in common use. The steam-pipe leading from the boiler to the small cylinder is represented at h. The exhaust-pipe leading fromthesmall cylinder. to the larger one, which is an eduction-pipe. for the small, and an induction-pipe for the large, cylinder, is shown at h h, and the ,ex-'

haust or eduction pipeleading fromthe large cylinder to the condenser at I). These pipes connect, as usual, with exhaust and induction passages or spaces in the valve-chests of the two cylinders.

A pipe, 0, (see Fig.1,) connects the pipes h h with thetank 0. small cylinder, and the Working pressure upon the large cylinder, are, therefore, the sameas if the eduction-pipes from the small cylinder led into the tank, and another and separate induction-pipe led from the tank into the steamspace of the valve-chest of the large cylinder. I intend at times to use this arrangement pipe, is, provided with a proper stop-valve, connects the tank with the condenser. This pipe may lead into the channel-way, or into the air-pumps themselves, especially in those cases where the condensation takes place in the air-pun1p but the preferred arrangement is that shown in the drawings. Another pipe, -m,'also provided with a stop-valve, connects thetank with the steam-pipe h, which is connected with the boiler. This pipe may be connected with the steam-space in the valve- The pumps which raise the- 1 water or pump it into a main are represented "ofsuch an'engine;

What I do claim as of my own invention is l. The apparatus hereindescribed for equalpistons of a compound engine; or, in. other The back pressure upon the:

drawings. A

chest of the smallengine, or directly with the boiler. In all cases, howeverjit must,when

the stop-valve is open, permit 'live steam from the boiler to flow into the tank without passing through the small engine.

the' use of these-connections with the tank, has already been described.

The mode of using, and efl'ects derived from I state, although it ishardly necessary, that I do not claim a compound engine, nor do I claim a tank or reservoir for steam used in connection with the largeand small cylinders but.

pressure upon the steamwords, the combination of a tank with two pipes,.provided with proper valves, the one to connect the tank withthe boiler, theother to connect the tank with the condenser, the tank being,at the same time, in connection with the eduction pipe orpassages of asmall cylinder, and the induction pipe or passages of a large cylinder, the combination beingand operating substantially as hereinbeforeset forth.

2. The apparatus, substantially such asherei in described, wherehy'theflow of water through apipe caused by twopumps maybe-rendered more constant and equable than has been heretofore practicable, such apparatus consisting essentially of two pumps, 21. large and asmall steam'cyliuder, a duplex valvegear,

a tank and connections therefrom to. the

steam-cylinders, the boiler, and the condenser, all these parts being. and acting substantially as hereinbet'ore set'forth.

HENRY R. WORTHINGTON. Witnesses:

W. A. PERRY, O. O. WORTHINGTON. 

